Articles In This Issue Page 1: Pat Farrell Page 7: The Way I See It Featuring: Cathey Meyer
Page 10: Begining Of A New Era Featuring: Pat Farrell
Page 13: Associate Splotlight Featuring: Movement Mortgage
Page 17: NARPM Article Featuring: Brenda Davila
Page 22: Guest Column
SERVING SOUTH TEXAS Vol.XL, No. 3
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SURROUNDING AREAS FOR 40 YEARS www.realestatenewsline.com
Featuring: Aly Crawford
Page 23: News Flash
March 2022
What Do You Consider To Be Your Comfort Food? Pat Farrell / Contributing Writer According to the MerriamWebster dictionary the term “comfort food” is food prepared in a traditional style having a usually nostalgic or sentimental appeal. The Learner’s dictionary adds that it is food that is satisfying because it is prepared in a simple or traditional way and reminds you of home, family, or friends. What one considers to be their comfort food will depend on a number of factors such as the background of the person preparing the food and their relationship to that individual or the foods that were popular in one’s neighborhood at that time. Also where one grew up, during what time period and usually one’s ethnic background also come into play. For those currently in the category of “senior citizen” memories of their comfort food from younger days may have been replaced by food from the towns or countries to which they have traveled and where they reside now compared to their original hometown.
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According to Ellie Krieger, a registered Dietician and author, “Comfort food is the food that makes us feel good – satisfied, calm, cared for, and carefree. It’s
food that fills us up emotionally and physically. … Finding comfort in food is a basic human experience.” I asked a good friend who is of Indian heritage, but was born in the United States, what she eats when she wants comfort food and she listed kheer, calzones, sheera, corn bread, Manhattan clam chowder, and the barbeque baby back ribs that her father used to prepare as her favorites because they are tastes that she associates with the various areas of the country in which she has lived (Virginia, New Jersey and Georgia, etc.). For those who are not familiar with the Indian dishes mentioned, kheer and sheera are both types of puddings, rice and semolina based respectively, so I suspect a sweet tooth somewhere in there! Additionally she has taken a liking to the various Asian foods offered at the local restaurants. Mystery writer Sara Paretsky’s opinion is that all food starting with p is comfort food: pasta, potato chips, pretzels, peanut butter, pastrami, pizza and pastry. Another friend who also grew up on the east coast, but during a time period that was about 40 years earlier than my Indian friend had a different experience. Her meals at home were quite simple and less varied. With an Irish ancestry she remembers that most meals were of the meat and potatoes variety, with the meat being primarily pot roast and the leftovers soon being turned into soup. Her neighborhood had two outstanding restaurants, one a pizza place where the large 18” Brooklyn foldable style pizza (which cost a whole dollar), was everybody’s favorite place to go after a movie date. Many pizza restaurants in the area sold pizza slices so it was common to see people eating it as they continued on their way. The other place was a take-out only, British style fish & chips restaurant where it was common for folks to stop, pick up some fries with malt
vinegar and again walk down the street eating them. So soup, pizza and the fish & chips were what she craved for comfort. If you want to avoid heartache, fall in love with food as It’ll never break your heart! David Walliams, English author, actor, comedian and talentshow judge said, “When I want comfort food, I buy Maltesers. I like all chocolates, but especially those. You can eat them, and because they’re so light, you can convince yourself that they are not actually that fattening.” According to Wikipedia Maltesers are a British confectionary product (ranked highest confectionary in UK in 2020), manufactured by Mars, Inc. and were first sold in the UK in 1937, originally aimed at women, and have since been sold in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and, since 2017, the US and Middle East with a slogan, "The lighter way to enjoy chocolate.” Sounds good to me! In speaking with the younger folks it seems that pancakes for breakfast and pizza for lunch or dinner is the overall favorite comfort food these days while a voice from the older crowd says she prefers old fashioned meatloaf with mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. However, Maya Angelou contends, “The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread, and fried chicken.” And I have another friend who would definitely agree with Jesse Ware, English singer, songwriter and podcaster, who says, “Ice cream is my comfort food,” as that friend usually has only ice cream for dinner! Anthony Bourdain, American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian, said, “Look, getting bullied in school and coming home crying in the rain and my mom making me a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup with some oysterettes. It was comfort food;
that is what food should be.“ I would tend to agree with Anthony so long as we can add a grilled cheese sandwich and Worcestershire sauce to go along with the soup – that is definitely one of my comfort foods! But pity those who grew up in the United States and are now living in a foreign country where their favorites are either unavailable or if available the local product is not at all comparable to that found at home and is usually ridiculously marked up in price. Such is the case abroad for those who drink bourbon, as there are very few types sold, and what is available is incredibly expensive, according to Hannah Lowenthal of BuzzFeed. And many of the seasonings and sauces are also not available in several overseas areas. So if you were to need celery seed or Creole, Old Bay, or Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend, a good variety of Mexican products, salad dressings, maple syrup, or various hot sauces or barbeque sauces, you may be out of luck. And some Americans have said they miss things like apple cider, donuts and pumpkin flavored everything or peanut butter, peanut butter cookies or peanut butter stuffed pretzels, cottage cheese, cornbread, Lipton’s Onion soup, stone ground corn grits, pancake mix that you mix with water or mac n’ cheese in the blue box, all of which are great examples of comfort food! But, actor and producer Lewis Black says “All food is comfort food. Maybe I just like to chew!” That may be, but most people have a few foods that are special to them, perhaps as a certain food from their past or one they have recently taken a liking to that is prevalent in their area now. So, what are the foods that are so special to you now and that you consider to be foods that you would really miss if they were unavailable?